The Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Jean-Damascène Bizimana, on January 27 highlighted a troubling failure among international organisations, particularly the United Nations, in addressing genocide perpetrators and ideologies.
Bizimana said this during the commemoration of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp.
The event was held at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, one of four Rwandan memorial sites recently added to UNESCO&039;s World Heritage List.
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He criticized the International Community’s slow approach to address countries that continue to harbour genocide perpetrators and ideologies, suggesting that this may be driven by concealed or profit-oriented motives, example of what has been taking place in eastern DR Congo, failure to bring to justice Félicien Kabuga, who was one of the key masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and others.
"The UN and other international organizations handle some global issues, including the prevention and fight against genocide, at a slow pace. At times, the focus on profit or advancing a certain country’s agenda takes precedence, drawing many in that direction,” he noted.
He drew attention to the persistent dangers of genocide ideology, which continues to be propagated by antisemitic groups, anti-Tutsi factions, and terrorist organisations like the FDLR, a militia linked to the Genocide against the Tutsi and whose activities in eastern DR Congo have caused widespread instability and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
"However, we have seen some changes over the past 10 years in addressing similar issues, particularly in France, which, for over 20 years, had shown hesitation or limited involvement in bringing to justice those involved in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. In 2024 alone, we witnessed three major trials,” he said.
"In December, French-Cameroonian Charles Onana was convicted for denying and trivializing the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. This is a positive step forward,” he added.
The Holocaust, or Shoah, remains one of history’s most harrowing atrocities. During World War II, six million Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, alongside millions of others who perished in a regime of unimaginable cruelty.
This year also marks 80 years since the end of World War II, a significant milestone in history and perhaps one of the final opportunities for survivors to provide first-hand accounts of the horrors they endured.
While the Holocaust prompted the international community to establish legal frameworks for preventing and prosecuting genocide and mass atrocities, antisemitism remains prevalent.
Israel’s Ambassador to Rwanda, Einat Weiss, noted that "remembering is our best defence against indifference”.
"The way to ensure never again, it shouldn't be a mere phrase but a guiding principle. Remembering is not enough, we must act to counter hate speech and antisemitism from each violent group. It must be a challenge from whatever and wherever it is,” she said.
Ambassador Weiss called on the international community and Academia to lead the way in fostering education, open dialogue and build a register of understanding between communities.
"Young Rwandans, I urge you to harness the power of social media to the positive, to combat those who deny Holocaust and the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Use critical thinking. Use the truth and education to fight misinformation,” she added.
Heike Uta Dettmann, the German Ambassador to Rwanda, shared her experience of growing up in a family that was neither extremely ignorant nor cruel. However, she explained that Jews were never spoken about, as if they didn’t exist. "This killed the victims a second time,” she remarked.